Back and pinion mechanism fob engines



H. L. FLOOD.

BACK AND mnou macmmsm ron mamas.

APPLICATION FILED APR- 24. Hill.

Patented Sept. 16, 1919.

2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

H. L. FLOOD.

BAC AND PINION MECHANISM FOR ENGINES.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 24, I917.

PatentedSept. 16,1919.

2 SHEETS- SHEET 2.

R O T N E V m WITNESSES Arronuiv NH! (0711MB!!! I'LANOGRAI'II (0, WASHINGTON. D C.

HENRY LEE FLOOD, 0F PONCA CITY, OKLAHOMA.

BACK AND PINION MECHANISM FOR ENGINES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 16, 1919.

Application filed April 24, 1917. Serial No. 164,227.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HENRY LEE FLOOD, a citizen of the United States, residin at Ponca City, in the county of Kay and tate of Oklahoma, have invented new and useful Improvements in Racks and Pinion Mechanism for Engines, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to gas engines or engines of the internal combustion type, the main object of the invention being to pro vide in connection with a plurality of cylinders and pistons, novel rack and pinion means for transmitting the motion of said pistons to the engine shaft in such manner as to produce a practically continuous torque, at the same time eliminating the use of a crank shaft, cam shaft, cam gears, loose connecting rods, wrist pins and a number of bearings incident to the use of the parts just mentioned. Under the arrangement herein shown and described, a complete revolution of the engine shaft and fly-wheel is obtained for each explosion in each cylinder thus 0btaining a great advanta e over the ordinary types of internal com ustion engines in which only one-half of a revolution is obtained for each stroke in a two-cycle engine, and only one-quarter of a revolution is obtained for each stroke in a four-cycle engine.

With the above and other objects in view, the invention consists in the novel construction, combination and arrangement of parts herein described, illustrated and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings Figure 1 is a vertical longitudinal section through an engine embodying the presen invention.

Fig. 2 is a vertical cross section taken adjacent to the engine shaft.

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary longitudinal section showing the controlling or guiding means for the slidable oblong gear.

Fig. 4 is an end elevation of the sliding gear detached.

Fig. 5 is a detail viewshowmg the support for the rollers which coiiperate with the sliding gear.

Referrin to the drawings 1 designates the engine sha t, 2 a spur gear fast thereon, the

shaft also having fast thereon one or mor'gp.

fly-wheels 3 and said shaft being journals in bearings 4 on the engine frame indicated at 5.

Arranged at opposite sides of the engine shaft 1 are opposed cylinders 6 and 7. These cylinders are arranged with their longitudinal axes in alinenient with each other and each cylinder contains a reciprocatory piston 8. Each piston 8 has fixedly secured thereto a iston rod 9 which extends inwardly toward the engine shaft 1, the inner ends of the rods 9 being fixedly connected to a reciprocatory yoke 10. All of the parts 8, 9 and 10 reciprocate practically as a unit. The rods 9 operate through stuflin boxes 11 in the inner heads 12 of the cylinc ers 6 and 7. The outer ends of the cylinders are closed by heads 13 forming the combustion chambers 14.

The yoke 10 is in the form of a substantially open center rectangular frame and within the rectangular space 15 of said yoke is mounted a sliding gear 16 the same being formed with internal teeth 17 arranged in a continuous series as illustrated in the drawings and adapted to coiiperate with the gear 2 on the engine shaft 1. The space 15 is of reater width than the gear 16 so that the atter may slide transversely with respect to its length and the length of the yoke 10 in order that when the gear 16 is moving in one direction, the upper teeth thereof will engage the gear 2 and when moving in the opposite direction, the lower teeth will engage said gear, motion being thus transmitted-to the gear 2 and the shaft 1 in each back and forth movement of the sliding gear, the oke 10 and the pistons 8.

The sli ing gear 16 is held in place in the yoke 10 by means of retainers 18 shown in the form of metal strips secured to the yoke and overlappin the ends and opposite side faces of the sli ing gear 16. To enable the gear 16 to operate with a minimum amount of friction, the opposite ends thereof are provided with semi-cylindrical recesses 19 in which are placed anti friction rollers 20 which work in contact with the opposing end walls of the yoke 10. Any desired number of such rollers 20 may be used in connection with each end of the slidin gear.

The means for guiding and shi ing the sliding gear comprises a pair of guides 21 of substantially t e same length as the sliding gear 16 and secured thereto by fastening means 22, As, shown in the drawings, the guides 21 extend below the bottom of the sliding gear 16 and the inner faces of said guides are arranged in spaced relation to each other. Each of the uides 21 is formed in the inner face thereo with an endless oblong guide-way 23 to receive one of a pair of guide rollers 24. These guide rollers are journaled upon studs 25 extending in op osite direetlons from a sinport 26 secure( in fixed relation to the rame of the engine. The rollers 24 are thus mounted upon fixed journals or studs and said rollers sin'iultaneously traverse the end less oblong uide-ways 23 in the guides 21, causing t l0 teeth of the sliding gear 1-6 to always remain in mesh with the teeth of the spur ear 2 on the engine shaft 1. The length 0 the gear I6 is preferably such that in eiic'h complete stroke thereof, one complete revolution is iin arted to the englne shaft. Therefore each exp osion in each c"l'inder results in a comple e revelution 0 the en ine shaft.

Each cylin er 6 and 7 is provided with an intake valve 27. Said valve 27 is mounted in a valve casing 28 connected to the res ective cylinder by fastening means. The va ve opens inwardly and is yicldingly held a ainst its seat by means of a sprmg 31. 1%! stem 32 of the valve 27 Works through a. suitable guide 33 within the valve casing, said guides being so arranged as to prevent leakage in case the valve 27 should not seat roperly at any time. Each cylindex is a so provided with an exhaust port 34 which is covered and uncovered by the respective piston 8 in the back and forth movements of the latter. I p

In connection with each cylinder I also employ a compressed mixture outlet valve 35 W icli is contained Within an individual valve casing 36 secured to the respective cylinder by fastening means. The valve 3-5 is yieldingly held a ainst its seat b means of a sprin 39. T e stem 40 of t e valve 35 is slidab 1: through a guide 41 which provents lea iage of the compressed mixture.

Extencing from each of the valve casing's 36 is a lay-pass 42 which carries the mixture compressed in one of the compressicn chambers 43 of the cylinders 6 and 7 to the opposite end or com'hu stion chamber of the same cylinder, where 1t is admitted throiigh an inlet port 44 covered and uncov red by the res ective piston 8 in the back a d forth movements of the latt r. A carhui'eter 45 is shown connected by a manifold {16 to the intake valve casings 28.

In operation, there is an exp osicn first in one cilinder and then in the other cylinder; "s the piston in one 0 linder is drive inwardly tower-g1 the en ,ne shaft by an ex lesion occiirrihg in the combos than she v r '14 of that cylinder, the mixture contained in the compression chamber 43 of that cylinder, which has previously been drawn into the cylinder by the outward suction movement of the piston, is compressed and forced by the unn 'iression releasing valve 35 into the hy-pass 42 leading to the comlmstion chamber of the same cylinder. lVhen the inlet port 44. of said cylinder is uncoverml by the piston of said cylinder just as it reaches the inward limit of its movement. the compressed mixture is released into the combustion chamber Where it is again compressed by the last named piston in the outward movement thereof preparatory to its next working stroke. The mixture is thus compressed at one side of each piston and transferred to the opposite side it being understood with respect to each. piston that when an explosion is occurring at one side of the piston, a compressing action is taking place at the opposite side of the same iston. By reason of the length of the slicing gear, a full revolution of the engine shaft may thus be obtained. for each stroke of the yoke 10 and the pistons S. This gives a practi cally continuous torque for the engine shaft 1, or two complete revolutions of the en gine shaft for each complete cycle of operation of the engine, under the illustrated and described embodiment thereof.

Iclaim:

Means for transmitting motion from a reciprocatory piston to an engine shaft, coinprising a reciprocatory yoke movable in a rectilinear path connected with said piston and embracing the engine shaft a gear on the engine shaft operating Within said yoke, a sliding gear shiftable transversely of and Within said yoke and embodying an endless ob-lon series of teeth meshing continuously Wlfi'l the teeth of the gear on the engine shaft, means for automatically shifting said slidin' gear transversely of the yoke to maintain the teeth thereof in continuous en ageinent with the gear on the engine shaft, he last named means comprising parallel guides having a fixed relation to said sliding gear and a s aced relation to each other an formed 11 their inner faces with endless oblong guide-Ways, the latter being located at one side of the sliding gear and rollers mounted on fixed journals an arranged to traverse said guidewa s.

n testimony whereof I aflix my signature.

HENRY LEE FLOOD.

Witness:

E. ONBTOT.

005m of this atent may be obtained {crave cents each, by addressing the "Commissioner of Patents. i it i Washington; D. it" 

